Royal Shrovetide Football 2015: Ashbourne Dates, Game Rules and Preview
Derbyshire market town Ashbourne is again ready to open its streets to the traditional football free-for-all, the Royal Shrovetide match. Few sporting spectacles are as chaotic, combative and exciting as the 16-hour marathon-like scrap for the ball around the Dales.
Here's some essential general information about this unique event:
Dates: Tuesday, February 17; Wednesday, February 18.
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The match always takes place over two days, Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.
Rules
Applying rules to the Royal Shrovetide may be something of a misnomer. Yet there are certain guidelines that are supposed to govern the affair.
The first is how teams are decided. It all depends on which side of Derby's Henmore Brook a player hails from, according to Shrovetide.net.
Those to the North are known as the Up'ards. Those from the South are dubbed the Down'ards. These are the teams aiming to score in their own goals, which are set as far as three miles apart.
Covering the distances is what can only be described as a melee. In fact, the technical term is "hug," per the game's official site. Both teams push against the tide of the opposing crowd trying to force the ball to a particular spot.
For the Up'ards, that spot is the "old Sturston Mill." Meanwhile, the Down'ards are aiming for the "old Clifton Mill." The rules governing the mass of humanity in the middle mostly focus on ruling out incidents of mortal wounding.
Players aren't actually allowed to "intentionally cause harm to others." This seems to be one of the more relaxed rules, as it's quite common to see punches thrown and landed during a Royal Shrovetide match.
In terms of the path the leather-and-cork ball travels, it cannot be hidden in a bag of any kind or transported in a vehicle. The official site gives a comprehensive description of how a goal is scored: "A ball is goaled when it is tapped three times onto one of the stone plinths."
Last year's match was claimed by the Up'ards, who goaled twice.
As it does every year, play for 2015 will begin with the traditional "turning up." That's the name given to the act of throwing the ball up above the frenzied crowd who will contest it.
This year, two people have been chosen for the role of "turner-up."
Local man Mick Pepper will "turn up" on the first day, according to the Derby Telegraph. Former Ashbourne Secondary Modern PE teacher and current Shrovetide secretary Mick Betteridge, another Ashbourne resident, will do the honours on Wednesday, per the Derby Telegraph.
Few sporting events can match the frenetic intensity and visceral spectacle of the Royal Shrovetide. As controversial as it is memorable, 2015's match is sure to be no different.
All event information and rule descriptions via Shrovetide.net.
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